JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, filed last week for an open seat in the Missouri Senate.
Engler will run in the 3rd District, which covers seven counties along the northern and western rims of Southeast Missouri. The district doesn't include Perry County, part of which Engler represents in the House of Representatives.
State Rep. Dan Ward, D-Bonne Terre, is also running for the seat. Assuming Engler and Ward face no challengers in their respective party primaries on Aug. 3, they will face each other in the Nov. 2 general election.
Engler, an investment broker and former Farmington mayor, was first elected to the House in 2002. Ward, an insurance agent, won his seat in 1998.
Because of a quirk of the 2001 redistricting process, the 3rd Senatorial District has been without local representation since 2003.
The filing period for legislative seats, statewide office and circuit judgeships runs through March 30.
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